The Other One
by lizz1022
Summary: Isabelle is the shy girl-next-door who has never really been the talk of Hogwarts. But what will happen after the war when she becomes friends with the Golden Trio and develops a crush on the so-called "Boy Who Lived"? Rated T for later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1:

Isabelle set her wand down on her bed, her dark brown hair in a messy, high bun, her face covered in dirt. She wiped the back of her hand across her forehead exhaustedly and stared blankly at the blood that came off. Her blood? Someone else's? She didn't know. She couldn't feel any pain.

She stared at the wand on the bed. It had scratches and was chipped at the end, a sign of wear. Aunt Elise always said that a worn wand is a winning wand; a phrase that had only been proven true for Isabelle earlier that night when she and her fellow wizards had finally won the Great Battle. Voldemort was gone for good, thanks to Harry Potter.

Harry. The boy who lived. The prophecy boy she had been taught about her whole life by her aunt. It seemed unreal that she had even had the chance to attend the same school as him, let alone fight alongside him. They had never spoken, but Isabelle had always felt a strange connection to the boy with the lightning scar.

Maybe it was because one of his best friends – and Isabelle's roommate – Hermione Granger, was like her. Both Isabelle and Hermione had muggle parents, and had bonded over their shared characteristic many times throughout the years. Hermione had spoken about Harry Potter and Ron Weasley so often that although she had not officially met them, she felt like she knew them through all of the stories of their adventures together.

Isabelle tilted her head to the side, still staring at the wand. How had she managed to gather up the courage to face and defeat Death Eaters, but could not manage to make more than two friends at a school that she had been attending for seven years? How had she attended the same school as Harry Potter, in the same Hogwarts house, and not even introduced herself once? Weren't Gryffindors supposed to have courage?

She sighed and tore her gaze away from the bed, turning her gaze toward the small mirror on her dresser. You-Know-Who was gone, his army of Death Eaters defeated. But something was still missing.

Isabelle took a deep breath. "Stop it," she whispered. "Stop feeling sorry for yourself. You are supposed to be celebrating!" She bit her lip. _You are going to leave this room and celebrate with everyone, Iz. You are._

"Hey, Iz!" A voice came from the open door of the dorm room. Hermione. "I've been looking everywhere for you!"

"M-me?" Isabelle blinked.

"Yes! Why aren't you in the great hall with all of the other students?"

"Oh, you know, I just had to change and wash up…" Isabelle trailed off. Hermione rolled her eyes and marched closer to Isabelle, towering over her slightly. She crossed her arms.

"Isabelle Rose, you need to stop being so afraid to be out in the world! You just helped defeat the Dark Lord. I think you can come downstairs and celebrate with us for a few minutes."

"But –"

"I'm not taking no for an answer!" Hermione gently grabbed Isabelle's arm, tugging it slightly. "Come on, we can start off light. Let me introduce you to Ron."

Hermione started walking, Isabelle in tow. Her hair was a mess and she had cuts and dirt all over her face and arms. She had bags under her eyes from exhaustion, but she was still beautiful. Isabelle suddenly felt self-conscious. She swiftly undid her hair and felt it cascade over her shoulders. She caught up with Hermione's tired march and the two girls walked side-by-side.

"How's Ron doing?" Isabelle asked.

Hermione sighed sadly, "He's still in shock. It's nothing compared to George, though. He's completely lost without Fred and it's only been a few hours." She sniffled.

Isabelle nodded gloomily. She couldn't even bear the thought of losing her brother. Louis was three years younger than her, and a muggle. Thinking about him just made her miss him terribly. The whole battle made Isabelle extremely grateful for her family – even her mother, whom she never really got along with. While her father was extremely supportive of Isabelle studying at Hogwarts, her mother never truly understood. She figured it was because her father's sister, Aunt Elise, was a wizard, so he knew how to handle it better than her mother did.

They had finally arrived at the Great Hall and Hermione spotted Ron sitting alone on the floor. Seeing his tear-stained face made Isabelle's heart ache.

Hermione left Isabelle's side and set herself on the floor across from Ron. She reached out gently with her hand and stroked his cheek. Isabelle stood awkwardly. She felt as if she were intruding on a very private moment.

As if she could read her mind, Hermione tore her gaze away from Ron to shoot Isabelle an apologetic look. She gestured for her to sit on the ground next to her, and Isabelle obliged cautiously.

"Ron, this is Isabelle," Hermione started. "Isabelle, this is Ron."

Ron looked up at Isabelle and smiled halfheartedly. "Well, it's about time we finally met. Hermione talks about you all the time."

Isabelle blushed. "Likewise."

Ron smiled a bit wider. "A bit shy are we?"

Isabelle's lower lip jutted out slightly and Ron gave a low chuckle. "Don't listen to him, Iz. He's just being a jerk, as always." Hermione teased, nudging him slightly.

The way Ron looked at Hermione put a lump in Isabelle's throat. He looked at her as if she were the most precious thing in the world, as if he was trying to drink her in before she disappeared forever. She wondered if she would ever feel that way about someone. She wondered if she even wanted to.

Ever since she was a little girl and her aunt first recognized that she was a wizard, Isabelle had had never-ending ambition and drive. She did nothing but study and practice magic, hence the reason why she had no friends. Her goal was to one day be a professor and, eventually, the headmaster at Hogwarts. While ambitious for some, Isabelle was always striving for greater.

Love had never been a part of her plan. However, like every teenage girl, she did dream. She had a vision of a tall, dark-haired man holding her, trailing kisses down her forehead to her cheeks and then, finally, her lips. She had never even kissed a boy. The idea of love seemed impossible for her busy life.

But watching Ron and Hermione gave her a pang in her heart. It wasn't until Hermione talked about him that she realized what she was truly missing out on.

She was pulled out of her trance by Ron asking her a question, "I'm sorry, what did you say?"

"I was just asking if you wanted some Butterbeer." He replied.

"Oh, no thanks! I can't stay for long, I should head to bed soon."

Ron laughed. "Wow, you're even more of a buzzkill than Hermione." Hermione swatted his arm lightly and Isabelle laughed nervously.

"Trust me, if you think I'm bad with my studies, you should see Izzy when she has a potions test. I've never seen anyone go without blinking for so long." Hermione teased. She wasn't wrong. Isabelle dedicated her entire life to her studies at Hogwarts, and she wasn't ashamed of it.

"Well at least wait for Harry to get back. He's doing an interview for The Daily Prophet, he would love to meet you." Ron tried to convince her.

"I'm sure with all of this excitement meeting me would be the last thing on his mind." Isabelle said quietly, but she stayed nonetheless.

She looked around, taking in the scene. She saw people crying – tears of relief and loss, of happiness and heartache. She thought of all of the brave wizards they had lost in the war and tried not to imagine how their loved ones had felt in that moment. She reckoned it felt like losing, even though they had supposedly won.

Ron looked as if he hadn't genuinely smiled in months. Hermione's eyes were bloodshot, her cheeks tearstained. Isabelle thought of the amount of time they had spent out in the woods together. She did not know what had happened to them, but whatever happened had changed them. This was not the Hermione she had known all these years. This Hermione was tired and lost. She was haunted by whatever she had encountered the past few months, what she had had to do.

A shiver ran down Isabelle's spine. It was over now, that is what mattered. Except, for a lot of people it wasn't over. The losses would haunt them forever, especially the loss of innocence. She had heard that Hermione erased herself from her parents' lives completely and couldn't even imagine having to do the same. She truly was the strongest person Isabelle knew.

"Here he comes." She heard Hermione say.

He?

Then she saw him. His hair messy and brushed across his forehead, his glasses worn and his green eyes tired. His clothes were dirty and he looked as if he had not showered in days.

Isabelle couldn't stop staring.

Harry Potter. She was looking at Harry Potter and he was looking at her, for the first time.

Yet, oddly, she felt calm. When she had pictured this moment in her head, her heart was beating so quickly and her palms were sweaty. But now here she was, watching Harry Potter walk towards her and feeling confident. He was beautiful, but he was human. At that moment, he wasn't "The Boy Who Lived," he was just a boy.

"Harry." Hermione embraced him, probably not for the first time on that emotional day. Harry glanced over at Ron and nodded affectionately and Ron smiled back.

Then he looked at Isabelle. "Hello, I don't believe we've met. I'm Harry." He held out his hand.

"Isabelle Rose." She replied, shaking his hand.

"Ah yes, so you're the mysterious Isabelle Hermione's always going on about." He joked lightly. She laughed.

"That's me."

He looked at her and the corners of his mouth shot up slightly. Isabelle smiled back. Someone cleared their throat, and she realized they had just been staring at each other for the past few seconds.

"Where's Ginny, Harry?" Ron asked, his eyes narrowed slightly. Isabelle looked down.

"She's just sitting with George on the steps." Ron nodded.

"I should go join them. I'll see you later." He shot Hermione a lingering, parting glance, and then nodded to Harry and Isabelle quickly before setting off in search of his family.

"I should really be off too; this might've just been the longest day ever." Isabelle blushed slightly when Harry chuckled.

"I'll go with you, Iz. You alright Harry?" Hermione asked.

"Yeah. It was nice to meet you Isabelle." Harry replied, smiling slightly.

Isabelle smiled back. "Nice to meet you." She and Hermione began to walk back to the girls' dorms.

They walked in uncomfortable silence for a little while. Isabelle felt the slight tension and started, "So…"

"Be careful, Izzy." Hermione warned bluntly. Isabelle stopped in shock and Hermione stopped to face her.

"W-what?"

"We were both there. There is obviously chemistry between you and Harry."

"What?" Isabelle scoffed. "I barely even know him! We literally just met, Hermione."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Fine, deny it all you want. But we could all feel that tension! I'm just saying to be careful, he _is_ with Ron's sister after all." And with that, Hermione was marching. Isabelle exhaled, and then ran to try and keep up with her best friend.

She inwardly sighed. Did she feel a "tension" with Harry? She felt something, but had originally pinned it on being star-struck.

Although, she did say she was perfectly calm when she met him, didn't she?

They had finally reached the dorms and Isabelle exhaustedly made her way over to her bed. She stared at the unmoved wand resting on her comforter and thought of the green-eyed boy's weary, kind smile met with her own timid one. She suddenly felt an urgent need to see it again, but quickly snapped herself out of it.

 _Be careful, Izzy._


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

A few months had gone by since the night of the great war. Isabelle was at home with her family, working at the Ministry of Magic as a part-time intern until she figured out her next steps. For now, she was Mafalda Hopkirk's personal assistant, meaning she pretty much fetched coffee for the woman who restricted magic to underage wizards.

Although Isabelle would never have even dared to use magic outside of Hogwarts the past few years, she had heard many stories, both from Mafalda Hopkirk and from Harry Potter, who had once used magic in the muggle world and had to go to trial for it. Obviously, his charges were dismissed and he was allowed back in Hogwarts, but Isabelle still rolled her eyes every time she remembered. She never understood how people could be so reckless.

Then again, this _was_ Harry Potter she was talking about.

Harry. Ever since the night of the great war, Isabelle had become much closer to him and the gang than she ever would've thought possible. She felt as if she had made true friends for the first time in her life.

But Harry…

Hermione had warned her to be careful with him, and she now knew why. She was absolutely crazy about the boy with the lightning scar, but he was still with Ginny Weasley and probably only thought of Isabelle as a sister, like Hermione. Nobody knew about her love for the green-eyed boy, and she intended to keep it that way. Nothing good would come out of this crush and she just wanted to wait it out. It would go away eventually…

Right?

She was to meet Harry, Ron and Hermione later on that day at Diagon Alley to shop for a new wand for Harry. After he had given Draco back his wand, he had been without one for a little while, so he thought it best to find one that chose him again. Such an occasion would call for some celebratory Butterbeer afterward at The Leaky Cauldron, so Harry's friends would tag along for the journey.

Isabelle and Ron agreed to travel to Diagon Alley together after work, as Ron also worked at the Ministry of Magic with his father in the Misuse of Muggles Artifacts Office. She had arrived at his cubicle and knocked lightly at the walls. He turned quickly, startled, and smiled at the brunette, waving lightly. His desk and floor were covered in balled-up pieces of paper from failed attempts at him shooting them into the trash bin on the other side of the cubicle.

"Ready to go?" Isabelle asked.

"Almost, just let me…" Ron picked up one final ball from his desk and tossed it. It made it into the bin and Ron's hands shot up in victory. Isabelle giggled and shook her head. "Let's go!" Ron said gleefully.

Diagon Alley was Isabelle's favourite place in the whole world. Even when it wasn't beautifully covered in snow, it looked like something from a perfect postcard. She hadn't been in years until she became friends with the gang, but then they had gone almost every weekend. Yet, every single time was still just as magical for Isabelle.

Isabelle and Ron had arrived and were searching for Harry and Hermione. They figured the two would be strolling around the alley shopping at the various stores. Ron was adamant that they would be at Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour, but Isabelle knew that he just wanted some ice cream and sweets. Sure enough, Hermione knew her boyfriend better than anyone and was outside of the ice cream shop with Harry, patiently awaiting him.

Ron sped up and embraced Hermione with a kiss, while Isabelle and Harry turned away respectfully. They locked eyes and smiled, whispering "hi" to each other, so as not to disturb the couple's private moment.

"Hey, Iz!" Hermione smiled after pulling away from Ron. "How was work?"

"Fine, thanks! Busy. It seems like more Hogwarts students are rebelling with their magic this year than any other year."

"Hopkirk still giving you a hard time?" Harry asked

Isabelle chuckled and rolled her eyes. "Of course, she's the one that gave me this job but she still thinks I'm an incompetent child."

"What did she do this time?" Ron asked, face already stuffed with ice cream. Isabelle wondered how he had gotten some so quickly, but brushed it off.

"She asked me to grab her a book off of her shelf, but she didn't tell me the name and— "

"Let me guess," Hermione interrupted, hands on her hips as her signature pose. "She vaguely described it, then got mad at you when you didn't get the right one."

"Exactly! The woman is crazy."

Harry rolled his green eyes, grinning. Isabelle felt her face turn red at the sight of his smile. _Stop it, Isabelle_ she scolded herself.

"Are you ready to go, Harry? Ollivander's closes in half an hour." Hermione lectures.

Harry nodded and the crew began walking, Isabelle and Harry trailing behind Hermione dragging Ron by the hand as he stuffed his face with more ice cream.

Ollivander's Wand Shop was newly renovated after Voldemort's destruction months earlier. However, Mr. Ollivander had wanted to keep it looking the same as it did before the war, and it looked as if nothing had changed since Isabelle had gone to get her first wand seven years ago. She felt nostalgic as she watched Mr. Ollivander emerge from the backroom on a ladder, grinning widely when he spotted the gang.

"Harry Potter!" He shouted happily. Harry grinned and the two briefly hugged. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"

"I need a new wand, Mr. Ollivander." Harry replied. "I am currently without one and it's about time I came in." Harry had waited months before coming to get his new wand. Isabelle suspected it had something to do with the lingering trauma of the war, and was proud of him for taking the step. Hermione had told her that Harry still wasn't the same, but this version of Harry was all Isabelle had ever known. Just like how she knew Ron to be a fun, food-loving teddy bear from Hermione's stories, but she herself could see the lingering sadness he felt from the loss of his brother.

Lost in her thoughts, Isabelle hadn't even realized that Harry had picked out his wand until he was calling her name at the door. She had snapped her head up to see Mr. Ollivander looking at her curiously.

"Ah, yes. Hornbeam wand with a Dragon Heartstring core." He recollected. "A powerful wand, made for someone especially talented. Fitted especially for you, young lady."

Isabelle's eyes widened, "You remember?"

"Of course, my dear! I remember every wand I have ever sold. But there was something about yours…" He mused. "One of the greatest witches of her time, is what the wand said."

Isabelle's face began to burn, her mouth opened slightly. She felt a breeze and turned suddenly to see Harry still standing at the door of the shop.

"Goodbye, dear. Hope to see you soon." Mr. Ollivander said. She turned her head and nodded slightly, still in shock, before turning back to Harry and walking out the door.

"Ron and Hermione are at The Leaky Cauldron; I told them we would meet them there." Harry said and they began walking.

They walked in awkward silence as Isabelle replayed her conversation with Ollivander from minutes before. As if he could hear her thoughts, Harry asked, "Do you want to talk about it?"

"N-no. Why would I?"

"Well, it just seems as if you are upset about something."

Isabelle shook her head. "I'm just in shock. 'One of the greatest witches of her time'? He must've been mistaken."

They were now standing at the entrance of The Leaky Cauldron and Harry faced Isabelle.

"Iz, Ollivander is never wrong. He knows his wands, and he knows what they mean when they choose you." Isabelle tried to look away, but Harry locked her eyes with his. "You are a brilliant wizard, Isabelle. You must recognize that."

Isabelle was captivated by his tone. He sounded so sure that she believed him. "Do you really think so?"

Harry scoffed lightly. "Are you kidding? You and Hermione have the potential to be the best living wizards of our time!" Isabelle chuckled and Harry smiled. "Have more confidence in yourself. You are brilliant, and your wand knows it. That's why it chose you."

Isabelle knew her face was probably the colour of a tomato in that moment, but she didn't care as Harry's sincere eyes were gazing into hers. She felt a pull, as if the wind was pushing her towards him, guiding her to put her arms around him. She looked briefly at his lips, watching his expression change from a smile to something she didn't quite recognize.

Harry cleared his throat, opening the door to the pub. "Shall we?" His voice was husky. Isabelle thanked him, walking inside. Harry followed, and the two spotted Ron and Hermione sitting in a booth, laughing loudly. It seemed as if they had both had their helping of Butterbeer before their friends had arrived.

The two sat down in the booth across from the "little-too-happy" couple.

"What were you two up to?" Hermione giggled. Isabelle rolled her eyes.

"Well, in the five minutes you left us alone, we managed to get married and buy a one-bedroom flat in London. It was a slow day." She replied sarcastically. Ron choked on his Butterbeer and Harry laughed loudly. Hermione huffed and crossed her arms, pouting slightly.

"Point taken." She muttered.

"Don't look now, but Malfoy is sitting at the bar behind you." Ron whispered to Harry and Isabelle.

Isabelle turned her head slightly and sure enough, there he was, his back to them. Draco's silver hair was perfectly windswept and she could see his strong jawline as he spoke to the bartender.

"Should we invite him over here?" Isabelle asked quietly. Hermione and Ron shared a hesitant glance, then the three wizards turned their gazes towards Harry.

Harry sighed, "Of course we should. We are all friends now, right?"

Hermione scoffed and Harry's eyebrow shot up. "His mother saved my life, 'Mione. I think we should give him a chance. He was born into this; he didn't ask to be a Death Eater."

"What's his excuse for being an arse?" Ron muttered softly.

"Be nice, you two. I'm going to go talk to him." Harry got up and walked over to Draco Malfoy.

"Why do you two hate him so much?" Isabelle asked Ron and Hermione softly, so the silver-haired boy wouldn't hear.

"You mean apart from the fact that he worked for Voldemort and tried to kill us all?" Hermione responded sarcastically. "He also called me a mudblood."

Isabelle's mouth opened slightly. She and Hermione were both muggle-born witches, but Isabelle had never been called the m-word before by anyone. That word was equivalent to the most prejudiced words in the muggle world and she knew how hurtful it was. A part of her started to hate the Slytherin boy before even properly meeting him.

As fate would have it, Harry had returned at exactly that moment, Draco trailing hesitantly behind him. Harry grabbed a chair from the neighbouring table and set it down beside him.

Draco sat down and nodded at Hermione and Ron across from him. "Granger, Weasley." He said cordially.

Ron muttered something unintelligible and Hermione elbowed him lightly. "Hello, Draco." She said, attempting to be pleasant.

"Oh, almost forgot. Draco, this is Isabelle Rose. Isabelle, Draco Malfoy." Harry introduced them.

Isabelle looked across Harry over at Draco, who held out his hand. She reached out and shook it. Draco smiled and said, "Nice to meet you, Isabelle." She could feel the softness in Draco, which surprised her. After the great war, she heard that he had abandoned the dark arts and had disappeared for a little while. Looking into his weary eyes, she almost felt bad for him and what he was forced to do.

She pulled her hand away and looked at Ron, who was still glaring at Draco.

"Malfoy," Isabelle hadn't even noticed that Draco was still looking in her direction until he had turned his head as a response to Ron's call. "I thought you were in hiding."

"Look, before you attack me, can I just say something?" Draco asked. Harry and Isabelle's eyes widened and Ron crossed his arms, waiting. Draco took a deep breath, "I want to apologize."

"Apologize? What—"

"Please, Granger. Just let me get this out." He pleaded. Hermione sat back in the booth and raised an eyebrow, a signal for him to continue. "I have done so many things to hurt all of you, and I know that. I regret every choice I made, from my ignorance on our first day at Hogwarts to fighting for evil at the very end. I have seen the light and I hope you can forgive me."

"Why should we believe you?" Ron asked skeptically.

"You don't have to, but hopefully my actions in the future will prove it." He looked down sadly and Isabelle felt a pang in her heart. She wondered if she was crazy for believing him, but she could even see Ron and Hermione faltering from the corner of her eye. "I'm sorry. I really am. I wish I could go back and…" Draco's voice cracked.

Hermione took a deep breath, closing her eyes. Opening them, she said, "I forgive you." Ron, Harry and Isabelle snapped their heads toward her in surprise. She looked at them and shrugged. "I do." She said defensively. She looked Draco dead in the eye, "I believe that you truly are sorry. Maybe I can't trust you just yet, but I admire you for trying to change for the better."

Isabelle looked back at Draco and saw him smiling and nodding gratefully at Hermione, and everyone's eyes shifted to Ron, awaiting his reaction. He looked at Draco, eyes narrowed. Then he rolled his eyes and muttered, "What she said."

They were all silent, and Ron groaned. "Fine! I forgive you too. You seem sincere, so… whatever okay?"

Hermione giggled and Draco grinned widely. It seemed he had the forgiveness of the three Gryffindors. He and Harry had already discussed their previous troubles and were on good terms. Isabelle looked at Draco's face, searching. The last time she saw him was briefly during the great war and his eyes were dark, his face sunken. Now, he looked almost… happy. She wondered if the boy really had changed as much as he said. He turned his face to meet her gaze, his eyes soft, but wondering.

For some reason, she trusted him.

"Brilliant!" Harry smiled. "So Draco, what have you been up to this summer?"

Draco grinned and began speaking excitedly about his travels and Isabelle smiled. She was curious about the boy, but in a good way. He stole little glances at her here and there throughout his story, which intrigued her. Then, looking at her watch, she realized it was time for her to head home for supper.

"I'm so sorry guys, I've got to get going. I promised mum and dad I'd be home for supper." Her friends nodded and they said their goodbyes. Isabelle looked once more at Draco and nodded. She turned to leave.

She had reached the doors of The Leaky Cauldron when she heard her name being called from behind her. Draco had caught up with her, panting slightly.

"What's up?" Isabelle asked slowly, curious.

Draco rubbed the back of his neck nervously, "I-I was just wondering." He breathed slowly. "I was wondering if you'd like to go out with me sometime?" Isabelle blinked and Draco's eyes widened. "Or not, I mean it's up to you. I know I used to be a bit of a jerk but—"

"Yes."

"Pardon?"

"Yes, I'd love to go out with you sometime."

Draco smiled widely "Brilliant," He said happily and Isabelle smiled, turning to leave once more.

Walking down Diagon Alley, she felt confident in herself. Draco seemed like a good man. She was excited to get to know him.

Though, part of her felt sick. She knew her crush on Harry was strong, so would she be leading Draco on?

 _No, Isabelle_ , she thought. _You deserve this._

Harry would never want to be with her that way. She knew this.

So why did she feel so guilty?


End file.
